Apparatus for removing snow from streets



(NoModeL) Y ELF, BIOREN.

Apparatus for Removing Snow from Streets. No. 236,534. Patented Jan 11,1881.

llllllllll I v mumm 2% J WITNESSES; h n gnaw I W BY ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK F. BIOREN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SNOW FROM STREETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,534, dated January11, 1881. Application filed November 17, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK F. BIOREN, ofNewark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented anew and Improved Apparatus for Removing Snow and Ice from Streets andRailroads, of which the following is a specification.

'This invention relates to an apparatus for melting snow and ice fromstreets and railroads; and it consists of an oil-tank provided with aseries of wick-tubes, and a fan or blower provided with correspondingpipes, that operate as blow-pipes, to direct the air from the blowerforcibly upon the flames issuing from the wick-tubes, thereby formingblow-pipe flames that are directed upon the ice or snow to be removed.The tank and blower are fixed on a platform that is suitably mounted onwheels, and have, in combination with them, a combustion-chamber, thatis designed to protect, concentrate, and direct the flames, said chamberhaving a vertically-adjustable front, that may be raised or lowered, ascircumstances may require, all of which will be hereinafter fullyexplained.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device with top of combustion-chamberbroken away to exhibit other parts. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevationof the same on line 00 :0, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a platform supported onwheels B B. G is a tank or reservoir, provided with forwardextendingtubes D D, securely fixed upon said platform A, said tubes D beingarranged at any desired angles and in any required numbers. Said tank orreservoir 0 is designed to be filled with oil, as indicated at O, and tohave wicks D extending outward through the tubes D.

Fixed on the platform A, in rear of the reservoir (l, is a standard, E,supportingafan or blower, F, the exitpipe at of which is entered into abox or air-receiver, G, from which the blow-pipes HH are projectedforward and downward, with their free ends just above the outer ends ofthe tubes D, in order that the blast of air forced by the fan F throughthe blow-pipes H shall strike the flames at the ends of the tubes D andproject said flames downward, as indicated at I), Fig. 2, uponthe ice orsnow to be melted. The said blow-pipes H H are designed to be soarranged that they may be adjusted to direct the flames at any desiredangle.

The fan or blower F is operated by means of an engine, 1, that issecured upon the platform A, a belt, 0, connecting the said engine Iwith the fan F; or any other convenient method of operating said fan Fmay be adopted without departing from my invention.

Secured upon the forward part of the platform A, and projecting in frontof it, and covering the end of the wick-tubes D and blowpipes H, is asheet-metal case, L, open at both ends and bottom, and provided with asmokestack, L. The forward end of this caseL may be partly or whollyclosed by a rolling metal shutter or apron, M, that is suspended on ashaft, d, between standards M, which are fixed on the top of said caseL, and said apron M may be operated by the engine I through a belt, f,or by any other convenient means. This case L serves to protect theflames b from the wind, and to concentrate and direct them by preventingtheir escape laterally or upward, and at the same time serves to retainthem in contact with or exposed to the air from the blow-pipes H, inorder to secure a more complete combustion of the solid and gaseouscomponents of said flames b. The apron M may be raised, that the flamesb may be projected farther forward, or it maybe lowered, as shown inFig. 2, that the flames b may be concentrated upon the space beneath thecombustion chamber or case L.

To the forward end of the platform A a sloping shovel or plow, N, issecured, provided with a V-shaped mold-board, N, for the purpose ofclearing from the track the slush created by the action of the flames band throwing it on either side.

Among the advantages of this process and apparatus over those in whichsteam-jets are used are that the temperature of the blowpipe flames isvery far in excess of the possible operating temperature of thesteam-jets, and consequently will dissolve the snow and ice much morerapidly, and the blow pipe flames projected upon the snow and ice createa warm vapor or steam that essentially assists in the dissolution of thesnow and ice, while steam-jets impinging on snow and ice produce no suchdesirable effect, the steam being condensed on contact therewith.

It is evident also that for producing like efiects there is much greatereconomy in applying the flamesthc products of combustion--directl y tothe snow and ice than through the medium of steam.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus for removing snow and ice fromstreets and railroads, constructed substantially as herein shown anddescribed, consistin g of oil-tank 0, provided with Wick-tubes and wicksD and blower F, provided with blow-pipes H H, arranged and operated asset forth.

2. In an apparatus for removing snow and ice from streets, thecombination, with the wick-tubes D and blow-pipes H, of thecombustion-chamber L, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In an apparatus for removing snow and ice from streets, thecombination, with the chamber L, of the adjustable apron M, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In an apparatus for removing snow and ice from streets, thecombination, with the platform A, of the shovel N, provided withmold-board N, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby theslush is thown to either side of the track, as set forth.

FREDERICK F. BIOREN. Witnesses:

I. I. STORER, G. SEDGVVICK.

